Spring and equalizer system for electric locomotives.



W. DALTON & W. E. WOODARD.

SPRING AND EQUALIZBR SYSTEM FOR ELECTRIG LOCOMOTIVES.

' APPLIIOATION I'ILEDBEPT. 19,1908.

918,828, H Patented Apr. 20, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

W. DALTON dz W. E. WOODARD. SPRINQAND EQUALIZER SYSTEM FORv ELEUTRIG LOGOMOTIVES.

. APPLIOAT'ION FILED SEPT. 19,1908. 918,828.

. l"- Q l i I a Patented Apr. 20,1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

4 Has.

nnrirnn PAENT A WILLIAM DALTON AND WILLIAM E. WOODARD, OF SOHENEGTADY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS TO AMERICAN LOOOMOTIVE COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SPRING AND EQUALIZER SYSTEM FOR ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 20, 1909.

Application filed September 19, 1908. Serial No. 53,769.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM Damon and WILLIAM E. WooDAnD, both of Schenectady, in the county of Schenectady and State of New York, have jointly invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Spring and Equalizer Systems for Electric Locomotives, of which, improvement the following is a specification.

The object of our invention is to provide a spring and equalizer system which shall be readily adaptable in electric locomotives of the designs approved in presentpractice and in the operation of which a substantially greater degree of flexibility may be obtained than is practicable under the constructions heretofore used orproposed.

The improvement claimed is hereinafter fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a side view in elevation, of a ortion of a spring and equalizer system for e ectric locomotives, illustrating an embodiment of our invention; Fig. 2, a plan or top view of the same; Fig. 2 a transverse section, on the line X X of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, aside view, on an enlarged scale, of the end portion of a spring and its connections; Fig. 4-, a view similar to Fig. 1, illustrating a modification of structural detail; Fig. 5, a planer top view of the construction shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 6, a transverse section, on the line Y Y of Fig. 4.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 3inclusive, our invention is herein illustrated as applied in an electric locomotive having a'main supporting frame comprising suitably cross connected bar side members, 1, of the standard type, which, with the mechanism carried thereon, are spring supported on a plurality of Wheels, 2, fixed upon axles, 3, the end journals of which-rotate in journal boxes, 4, which are fitted between the members of pairs of pedestal jaws, 1 on the side frame members, with the capacity of vertical movement of the latter, relatively to the journal boxes, in the ordinary manner.

A plate or leaf spring, 5, of semi-elliptic form, having its set or curvature in a vertical plane, is located above each of the frame members, 1, over each of the journal boxes thereof, the central band, 5 of each s ring, bearing, through a roller 5*, on a vertica saddle, 6, the lower end of which bears on the top of the journal box. Instead of the springs, 5, being connected, at their ends, to

the frame members, or to equalizers thereon, in the same manner as in ordinary practice, in which the length of the spring is necessarily limited by that of the arms of the equalizers to which it is connected, the springs are, under our invention, extended so that the length of each. spring between its end bearings is greater than the distance between. the ends of the frame equalizerson opposite sides of the axle above which the spring is set. The springs are, preferably, extended to as great a length as the distances between the centers of the axles will permit, and the upper spring equalizer bars, 17, of substantially the same length as the extended springs, are located above each of'them, and supported upon them, adjacent to their ends, by rollers, 5, which allow for the movement of the springs in their deflection. Double armed frame equalizers, 8, of the ordinary type, are pivoted, by pins, 8, to vertical standards or bearing pieces, 1 bolted to the frame members between the axles, and are coupled, by spring hangers 7, to the upper spring equalizer bars, 17. It will, of course, beunderstood that the spring hangers at the ends of the system are coupled at their lower ends, to pins on the frame members, there being noframe equalizers located beyond the end wheels and no necessity therefor.

-It will be seen that by the increase in length of the springs which is rendered admissible by the above construction a much greater degree of fiexibilityis attained than in prior constructions, and, at the same time, there is no curtailment of the length of the frame equalizers, so that the latter operate with the same freedom and range of pivotal movement as heretofore.

Figs. 4 to 6 inclusive illustrate a structural modification in which the upper spring equalizer bars, 17, above specified, are dispensed with, and the springs are so connected to the frame equalizers as to enable the lengthof the springs to be increased to a still greater degree than in the instance first described. In this case, a single spring 5, and a pair of parallel springs, 55, are set above the journal boxes of alternate axles, the ends of the single springs, 5, extending between those of the pairs of parallel springs, 55,

which are located on opposite sides of the springs 5. The ends of each of the single springs are coupled by spring hangers, 7, 7 to the ends of the two frame equalizers, 8, on opposite sides of the axle above which said slngle s ring is set, which are farther from said ax e, the hangers, 7, being single and passing down between the springs, 55, and the hangers, 7 being double and coupled by pins, 7 to the hangers, 7, below which they extend to the frame equalizers. The adj acent ends of the pairs of springs, 55, on each side of each single spring, are coupled, by spring hangers, 7, to the ends of the two frame equalizers, 8, on opposite sides of the axle above which the single spring is set, which are nearer said axle. The effective length of each spring is, therefore, under this construction, increased from the distance between the nearer end connections of the two frame equalizers on opposite sides of its axle, which it would be in ordinary practice, to that between the farther end connections of said two frame equalizers, that is to say, is increased by the combined length of said two frame equalizers. lhe length of the frame equalizers themselves is unaffected, and they operate, in connection with the springs, 5 and 55, in the usual manner. As in the instance first described, it will be un derstood that the spring hangers at the ends of the system, whether they be those of single springs or of pairs of springs, are coupled at their lower ends, to pins on the frame members, in the usual manner.

We claim as our invention. and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a locomotive, the combination of a main su )porting frame, a plurality of axles on whic said frame is carried with the capacity of relative vertical movement, double armed frame equalizers pivoted on the main supporting frame intermediate the axles, springs bearing centrally on the axle ournals and of greater length between their end bearings than the distance between adjacent frame equalizers, and intermediate connections coupling said springs and frame equalizers.

In a locomotive, the combination of a main supporting frame, a plurality of axles on which said frame is carried with the capacity of relative vertical movement, double armed frame equalizers pivoted on the main supporting frame intermediate the axles, springs bearing centrally on th i axle journals and of greater length between their end bearings than the distance between adacent frame equalizers, and spring hangers coupling said springs and frame equalizers.

3. In a locomotive, the combination of a main supporting frame, a plurality of axles on which said frame is carried with the capacity of relative vertical movement, double armed frame equalizers pivoted on the main supporting frame intermediate the axles, springs bearing centrally on the axle j ournals and of greater length between their end bearings than the distance between adj aeent frame equalizers, upper spring equalizer bars supported on the springs, adjacent to their ends, and spring hangers coupled to said upper spring equalizer bars and to the frame equalizers.

4. In a locomotive, the combination of a main supporting frame, a plurality of axles on which said frame is carried with the capacity of relative vertical movement, double armed frame equalizers pivoted on the main supporting frame intermediate the axles, springs bearing centrally on the axle journals and of greater length between their end bear ings than the distance between adj aeent frame equalizers, rollers supported on the springs adjacent to their ends, upper spring equalizer bars, bearing on said rollers, and spring l'iangers coupled to said upper spring equalizer bars and to the frame equalizers.

W ILLIAM DALTON XVILLIAM E. WOOILX ltl). rv itnesses F. H. REYNOLDS, JAs. lviolzujemlix. 

